


Umarmung - aroundarming

by Vanamiya



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, I feel so dumb for writing that but better safe than sorry right, M/M, Non-Consensual Hugging, it's also not that shippy yet but maybe it will get there should I write more, kind of because it's Starscream and he will be damned if he will let himself be comforted
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-30
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-08-27 22:51:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8420236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vanamiya/pseuds/Vanamiya
Summary: Starscream definitely needs a hug. Soundwave is just the mech for the job. (no he isn't but he tries)(Umarmung is German for hug but the literal translation is something like aroundarming which I think is fitting, I mean... have you seen Soundwaves arms? Being hugged by those must be super weird.)





	1. A hug for Starscream

**Author's Note:**

  * For [The_Glitches](https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Glitches/gifts).



> I have written a few Transformers stories already but this is the first time I actually upload one of them. orz I have no idea if anyone will be able to enjoy them but if so, that would make me pretty happy. I plan on uploading at the very least most of them.
> 
> This is... completely self-indulgent. I can't call this anything else.

The floors on the Nemesis were always dirty. No matter how many times the drones cleaned and polished them, filth and dust would always find its way back, carried in by soldiers and miners alike. Earth spread its muddy crust like a disease and beings as big and heavy as them could not walk two steps without getting soiled by it.  
  
Starscream followed the patterns of dark brown pede prints with disdain. He hated earth, both the planet and the substance. It was crawling with microorganisms and despite knowing that organic diseases had no effect on Cybertronians, Starscream felt disgusted by the mere notion of bacteria crawling its way between his plating and into his seams.  
  
Still, looking, no, glaring at the floor and musing about the mud stains was preferable to acknowledging the pain that made big red warnings flash on his HUD. Preferable to acknowledging the pitiful state and humiliating pose he was in. Preferable to thinking about how he had failed Megatron yet again.  
  
His lord had been furious, had kicked him around and then left to let him wallow in his own misery. It was not the most brutal of beatings, he had experienced much worse, but this time, he had truly wanted to please Megatron. It made the taste of failure turn from bitter to unbearable. In all those eons of war, Starscream felt himself confronted with two universal truths:  
  
He could not kill Megatron. He could not please Megatron.  
  
What he could do seemed secondary, unnecessary even in the face of these two specific shortcomings. Both would have him end up in similar positions, at the mercy of his master's ever changing moods. The instances when Megatron's heavy gaze had been laced with something akin to approval and pride and that had made Starscream's spark jump and flare in the strangest patterns could be counted manually, on one servo.  
  
Starscream's servos balled into fist, his talons dragging along the metal flooring as he did so, creating an eerie scratching noise. He needed to get up and return to his duties. A new chance to prove himself or fail miserably.  
  
Starscream liked to pride himself on being a mech who never gave up and always found a way to rise once he had fallen. But this time perhaps he needed... a break. A short one.  
  
Slowly, Starscream stood up, wincing silently at the pain in his cockpit and at the base of his wings. Megatron – sadly – knew exactly where all of his weak points were. Perhaps he should visit the med bay, even if every fiber and plate of his frame bristled at the thought of Knockout saying something, anything. He didn't need snide comments or worse, pity. Before he could turn and walk out of the room however, he stilled. He felt him before he saw him and certainly never heard him but he was definitely headed this way.  
  
The door opened and Soundwave entered. Immediately, as if out of instinct, Starscream corrected his posture that favored one side, even at the cost of another damage level warning harassing him like advertisements harassed those that visited the human electronic communication network. (Perhaps he had visited that virtual dumpster a bit more than was recommended. And it wasn't like he had any use for human devices, anyway. He didn't even know what a “penis” was! ...or why it needed to be longer.)  
  
Soundwave tilted his helm to the side, an inquiring motion, before approaching, his steps calm and quiet. Starscream frowned.  
  
“What do you want, Soundwave? Are you here to gloat because you succeeded where I did not?”  
  
Of course that was a silly notion. Soundwave was not the type to gloat – or talk, for that matter – but the part of Starscream that always suspected everyone and everything to be out there to get him had been faster than his more rational thought protocols. Who could blame him though?  
  
Not to mention, Soundwave was undeniably Megatron's favorite. Starscream could tell himself all he wanted that it was his superior skills and intellect that had granted him the position as second in command but the truth was that the position of second in command was, in general, more stiff than that of the third. They were designed that way on purpose. Soundwave could concentrate on special assignments and surveillance and whatever it was Megatron made him do, while Starscream's place was right at Megatron's side, leading his armies and accepting his anger.  
  
If not for these dynamics, Starscream wasn't sure what rank he would be. Not that it mattered. The only thing that mattered was that he had the superior rank and whatever it was that Soundwave wanted, he would not let the wretched aft-kisser have his way.  
  
It was just then, when he had finally decided on a course of action to get rid of Soundwave before the silent mech could notice his current predicament, that two very familiar cables wrapped themselves around him before lifting him into the air with little to no effort. That was, until Starscream started struggling.  
  
“What the-?! Soundwave! Put me down! This is an order! You can't do this to your superior officer!” But Soundwave didn't listen. A blank, black screen stared into Starscream's direction as the seeker fruitlessly attempted to free himself from the hold. Agonizing sensory feeds originating from his pain receptors made the ordeal harder than anticipated. Despite his best efforts, he winced and needed to pause in his endeavors.  
  
The cables were flexible and quite soft, actually. They wrapped around his frame almost delicately, as if Soundwave was trying not to hurt him further. Of course that notion was ridiculous. Even more so than Soundwave gloating.  
  
Soundwave cared for only one thing and that one thing had left this room not too long ago to rid himself of the pitiful sight that Starscream had displayed.  
  
Weak as he currently was, Starscream had no choice but to temporarily accept his position, lest he show the damned communications officer how he actually felt right now.  
  
Soundwave made no indication of his current mood. He could be happy, smug, angry, no one would ever know. He face as well as his EM field were a perpetual blank slate and that was perhaps his most dangerous feature.  
  
Slowly, the cables retracted, carrying Starscream closer to their owner. Starscream frowned, silent for once and waiting for whatever it was that Soundwave intended to do to him. If the third in command decided that he wanted to hurt the seeker too, then there would be no one around to hear them just like no one had heard when he had been at Megatron's tender mercies. Not that anyone would have even cared.  
  
A virtual image of Starscream's frame appeared on Soundwave's visor as well as various numbers. It took Starscream a moment to realize that those were his damage levels. Soundwave was certainly no medic but it seemed like he could at least do a rough check up and assess the situation, presenting Starscream with the results. There really seemed to be nothing this mech couldn't do and Starscream hated him for it.  
  
“So? What is that supposed to tell me? I know that I'm in pain without you showing me.”  
  
There was a short flash and the pictogram for medical assistance appeared.  
  
“I was just headed that way. Before you decided that I make for a splendid hanging lamp.”  
  
Long thin digits reached out, tracing Starscream's faceplate with a touch so light it was barely there at all. The way the cables were wrapped around him, Starscream couldn't use his arms, so he turned his helm away. The touch followed.  
  
Something new appeared on the screen. It was nothing more than the punctuation mark of a question. Eons of having to work with the silent mech had made Starscream somewhat adequate a guessing the vague motions, visuals and recordings Soundwave used to communicate, so he had a pretty good idea what this meant.  
  
“Isn't it obvious?! I failed! I failed and paid the price. Not like you would ever know! Has Megatron ever punished you before?”  
  
It was subtle and gone after a blink but Soundwave shook his head.  
  
“I didn't think so. Because you're perfect, aren't you, Soundwave? Perfect and loyal and capable, a true Decepticon, better than any of your peers, even the second in command, your superior only in title.”  
  
Perhaps it was the pain or how tired he suddenly felt but Starscream didn't even try to hide the bitterness spilling from his intake. The spark-crushing envy.  
  
“You might remember that I had devoted my life to Megatron as well, a long time ago. When he promised me to help me reach my goals. But they went up in flames just like Vos did. And I was left with a position that put me right by his side, within his reach at all times. You would not be as loyal as you are if you knew what that's like.”  
  
There, he said it and there was no going back now. Soundwave was coddled, always just out of reach of Megatron's anger. Because when their master was furious, it didn't matter who had done what. Starscream had had the pleasure of learning that, too.  
  
He could not please Megatron.  
  
His defectiveness had, in the beginning, been a result of this treatment and the fact that he didn't agree with Megatron concerning... many things. This war had destroyed their planet but Starscream? He had not wanted that. What use was an empire in shambles? Conquering meant seizing and changing for the better, not ruining the work of a whole planet's life. But Megatron, in his insatiable thirst for vengeance, had not seen that.  
  
But it wasn't like a blind follower like Soundwave would understand, so chance after chance of taking the throne for himself had slipped through Starscream's fingers, just because of the third in command.  
  
He could not kill Megatron.  
  
Soundwave was eerily still, even for his standards. Then, Starscream was pulled closer still until he was right in front of Soundwave, his pedes even touching the floor again. That was his chance, he decided, if he aimed right and drove his knee right into Soundwave's abdomen, he could probably free himself and buy himself enough time to flee.  
  
Starscream tensed, his gears and joints ready to move. He only needed the right moment to-  
  
Soundwave hugged him.  
  
Starscream froze. He suddenly wasn't so sure if any of this was real or if he was having the weirdest nightmare of his entire life. Even weirder than the one where he had decided to get a new frame and kidnapped Bumblebee to tell him stories about himself.  
  
Soundwave was not made for hugging. His arms had a strange shape and wrapped awkwardly around his frame. The cables, Starscream could understand, but this? No.  
  
Starscream was tempted to renew his escape attempts when he heard it. The tune coming from Soundwave. It was the recording of a song that had been popular in Vos not too long before the start of the war.  
  
Starscream had not liked it back then but now it felt like home. He renewed his struggling but more out of a desperate attempt to not show his emotions so openly when someone he didn't trust was so close.  
  
“Soundwave, what- what are you doing?! Stop that! I don't want to hear this song and I certainly don't need you to coddle me like a newspark!”  
  
Had he sounded indignant and demanding before, now he only sounded pitiful and confused.  
  
Again, Soundwave did not listen. He stayed in that position, arms and cables wrapped around Starscream, digits pressing light, soothing patterns into the silver plating while the song kept playing softly. It was almost like a lullaby.  
  
Out of other options, Starscream stopped his attempts to flee. Whatever had gotten into Soundwave, perhaps it was best to leave him be until he was bored and left Starscream alone. It was painful, hearing this tune that was so familiar yet felt like a dream from the past, the ghostly remnant of a better, easier time. The touches were careful, even if a bit strange, but they didn't hurt and seemed to have only friendly intent. That was... something Starscream hadn't felt in a while. He hated Soundwave for reminding him that he, too, craved such a thing. And – to a lesser extent – he hated himself from craving it in the first place.  
  
He was Starscream, ruler of the skies, second in command of the Decepticons, not some touch starved piece of shareware!  
  
Now that the immediate danger seemed gone, Starscream's damage repair protocols demanded for him to fall into recharge. He felt heavier, staying awake became a chore. It didn't help that Soundwave's actions unintentionally assisted the protocols.  
  
But he couldn't. Not right in front of Soundwave, who knew what that damned mech would do to him then?  
  
Starscream had barely started considering all the possibilities when he fully slipped into recharge, exhausted and empty in more ways than one.  
  
When Starscream came online again, he was inside the medbay. Briefly, he considered the possibility that everything had just been a dream but quickly discarded that idea.  
  
He could hear Knockout as he was seemingly maintaining his equipment. He was humming a song. The same song Soundwave had played for him before he had slipped into the comforting black of recharge.  
  
There was only one question left:  
  
Why?


	2. A hug from Soundwave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm finally uploading the second part of this fic. Chronologically it takes place before the first chapter. Here, we will see the reason as to why Soundwave did what he did during the first chapter.

Soundwave was a mech of action, rather than words. A conclusion that everyone who had watched him for at least two minutes would have come to, even if – at first glance – it seemed to contradict with his role in the Decepticon army. However, quite the opposite was the case. His perpetual silence made him perfect for the role he was given. He listened instead of talking, he watched instead of showing and finally, he acted when needed. Those who feared him, whispering about how he always seemed to know everything but never showed his cards were not wrong, not completely. The only thing that doubtlessly every Cybertronian – Autobot and Decepticon – knew about him was his loyalty towards Megatron. But that was where the knowledge ended.

Now Soundwave on the other hand had gathered and compiled an extensive list of information on every ally or foe he interacted with regularly or that was of any kind of significance. Going through said lists during one particular solar cycle when he had – amazingly – completed all other duties for the day had left him with a curious little realization that seemed to come out of nowhere but clung to the back of his processor like a starving scraplet.

The bot he had gathered the most information on, the one he seemingly knew most about, was not – as anticipated – Megatron. Or even Optimus Prime.

It was Starscream.

Logs upon logs of useless observations cluttered the file he had named just like the seeker himself. The way Starscream walked, the way Starscream transformed, the little quirks that showed themselves whenever Starscream had set another plot in motion to undermine Megatron's authority or alternatively gain additional favor from their lord.

Soundwave had recorded it all, voice clips, videos, even his own notes he had idly made while working and simultaneously watching the commander from afar. He never would have guessed that they would take up so much data on his internal processor's storage. It felt like a waste of precious space.

Soundwave connected his processor to the console inside his quarters via transmission cables and accessed the Starscream folder manually. It was neatly organized and sorted into sub-folders and Soundwave contemplated which he could clean out or perhaps outright delete.

It was then that one of the folders drew his attention. He knew this one well. It was labeled “Punishments” and the content was nothing short of uncomfortable. It showed all the times Megatron had punished Starscream for failure, disobedience or even simply for existing. And, mind you, those were only the times when Soundwave had been present.

Soundwave hesitated before opening it. The files that unfolded on his large screen were numerous and in chronological order. They reached back, far back to the very beginnings of the war. Soundwave checked them over, time stamps, size, duration. It didn't take him long to notice a pattern.

As the duration and severity of the punishments grew, Starscream's inclination to defectiveness grew as well, which then, in turn, caused Megatron to dish out worse beatings, worse damage, worse insults. It was a vicious cycle, one that Soundwave had known of, of course, but whenever it had happened, it had seemed like the appropriate reaction at the time. Starscream did need a reminder from time to time who his superior was and Soundwave was not one to question Megatron's decisions.

Now that he was presented with the true magnitude of this unhealthy dance, he couldn't help but consider the possibility that... perhaps... this was not entirely Starscream's fault.

Soundwave himself had never received a punishment like this but from what he could gather, angering Megatron either ended in death or – in Starscream's case – in a slow downwards spiral towards worse and worse torture.

Abruptly, as if burned, Soundwave closed the sub-folder. He would clean that out another time. Instead he sorted through his other options. There was one labeled “Feelings”, he decided to try that one next.

Soundwave's “gift”, as some would perhaps be inclined to call it, allowed him to correctly assess every feeling rolling off a mech's frame and hiding in the deepest reaches of their EM field, signals encrypted to everyone but him. He had an error margin of 1-2%. As such, no one could effectively lie to him, it all was laid bare for Soundwave to see and interpret. Not that he needed use such refined methods on Starscream, though. The seeker was basically an unlocked datapad anyway. The fools who fell for any of Starscream's ploys had no one but themselves to blame.

So of course that meant that this folder was filled to the brim as well and surely, it would be no great loss to delete datalogs of feelings Starscream had had millions of stellar cycles ago.

Again, Soundwave paused in his actions as he noticed something, something that was almost frustrating. Instead of deleting data and freeing space for actual important information, he felt like documenting his new findings as well. A log about the Starscream files themselves and the patterns that emerged from looking over them.

Starscream's general emotional output had been completely different during the early stages of war than it was now. Of course, eons upon eons of battles and death and a shortage of energon had changed all of them but Starscream had changed at a worrying rate. The stress and paranoia levels had climbed off the charts, sometimes there had been sudden surges of hopelessness, hopefulness, hopelessness again, anger, regret... and pain. So much pain. A creeping suspicion formed in the back of Soundwave's processor and he pulled up the “Punishment” files again, creating a split window on the screen to directly compare the two folders.

It was as suspected. Megatron's punishments were directly related to the changes in Starscream's EM field. Every beating, every denied energon cube, every hurtful action had caused Starscream's feelings to fall into complete, erratic disarray. And from this chaos grew the anger, the cold sting of a lust for revenge. Soundwave had suspected it to simply be in the seeker's nature and to an extend, he was perhaps right. But this was not caused by Starscream's personality or his lack of loyalty or even his hunger for power. Those aspects had reared their ugly heads in order to cover up a far more painful truth and protect Starscream from having to face it as it was.

Soundwave could barely stand to still look at the files. He closed them completely and disconnected his processor from his console before cycling air through his vents in a slow way that was supposed to be calming but only caused him to muse on his new discovery.

He was a mech of action, rather than words. And an action was what he would have to take if he hoped to ever have Starscream show Megatron the loyalty that was needed to win this war.

Megatron would not stop as long as Starscream would keep this up. And Starscream would not change as long as Megatron's methods stayed the same.

Soundwave wondered briefly if he could talk to Megatron but dismissed that idea just as quickly. He did not talk and he also did not question his lord's actions, no matter how damaging they were. Such was the fate of unbending loyalty.

That left... yes. Of course.

Soundwave now knew what he wanted to do. Had to do. He only needed to find Starscream.


	3. More Hugs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome to another chapter of "that weird self indulgent hugging fic" because I figured, I should finally upload this chapter that I had already written months ago.
> 
> So yeah, idk, I feel like I need to mention this again for some reason but as I said, this is completely self-indulgent and I claim by no means that the characters are IC or... anything along those lines. Especially Soundwave, I'm so sorry Soundwave. orz

One encounter turned into two. Two turned into several. Soundwave never spoke, always wrapped his cables around him first and waited for Starscream to give up struggling before pulling him closer and touching his frame carefully, as if it was meant to be comforting.  
  
Starscream found no comfort in it. Whatever Soundwave's ploy was, he would not buy it. It wasn't like Soundwave had ever cared much about him to begin with. Soundwave had listened to him and followed his orders during the time when Megatron had been off searching for his beloved dark energon but now that their lord was back, there was literally no reason whatsoever for Soundwave to even attempt... whatever it was what he was doing. And so, Starscream was rightfully suspicious of the TIC's sudden antics.  
  
The war with the Autobots raged on, though it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. They won some ground, they lost some ground. Mines were raided, new maneuvers were tested and scrapped again. After millions of stellar cycles, such repetitive squabbles started to lose their appeal. The only difference was the fact that they now fought over a tiny mud ball floating on the edge of some unimportant galaxy instead of their once glorious home planet.  
  
Of course, this didn't stop Megatron from taking out his anger on Starscream whenever something didn't go according to plan. Starscream accepted the physical and verbal punishments, for now, knowing that another chance to take his rightful place as ruler of the Decepticons would come. This thought, this daily reminder, was what kept him online, made him go on. He was Starscream and because he was Starscream, he would not give up.  
  
Ever since that fateful solar cycle, Soundwave was always there, seemingly appearing out of thin air whenever Megatron was finished reminding Starscream how much he hated the warlord. This time as well but Starscream had already anticipated it.  
  
He did not wish to be treated like one of these miniature humans made of plastic that children liked to own, so if Soundwave would not stop on his own and refuse to explain himself, there was only one thing left that Starscream could do.  
  
He escaped the room and the ever-searching cables just barely. His pedes were not made for running long distances – he was a flier, after all – so he had to resort to transforming mid-step and breach protocol 638-B-1 about changing into altmode inside the hallways of the Nemesis. It was only allowed during an emergency but escaping unwanted tactile advances counted as one, right?  
  
He passed by a few drones on his mad flight down the hallway, barely managing to dodge them. They stared after him in confusion but Starscream had neither time nor desire to explain himself. He slowed down as far as he could when he had to round a corner-  
  
-and found himself inside the green vortex of a groundbridge. Before he managed to slow to a stop and turn around, he had already crossed the distance between the start of the bridge and the end. The vortex closed behind him and he stared.  
  
He was not, as anticipated, inside the room he had just fled. Instead, he hovered over the peak of a mountain that faced the setting sun. Soundwave was here, too, his cables finding Starscream's frame quickly and wrapping around it. He was still in altmode.  
  
There was no way to escape Soundwave. That blasted mech saw everything, heard everything, knew everything. It was equally as frustrating and is it was unsettling and when Soundwave pulled Starscream closer to pet his nose cone, he barely even struggled, knowing that it was futile anyway.  
  
Soundwave's long, thin digits brushed along Starscream's fuselage, stopping only when he reached is own cables that held Starscream in place but were careful as always, gentle even, if one could apply such a word to a Decepticon. His frame keened under the attention and Starscream wished his spark could jump out of his own traitorous body. He could not just let himself enjoy this! It was against his will! And it was Soundwave!  
  
Speaking of which, Soundwave's touches became even ofter, as if he could feel the turmoil inside Starscream's processor and adjusted his actions accordingly. The cables lifted the jet higher so Soundwave could let his digits wander along the underside of Starscream's fuselage, making the plane squirm and writhe suddenly.  
  
“S-stop! Soundwave! Unhand me!” It _tickled_. Starscream did his best not to vocalize the giggles that bubbled up in his voice box but he was fighting a losing battle, especially because Soundwave – after a short pause to contemplate his next actions – redoubled his efforts instead of ceasing them. He tickled Starscream on purpose now and the seeker could do nothing but demand to be released between fits of snorts and noises that almost sounded like laughter.  
  
When Soundwave finally let him go, Starscream wasted no time transforming back into rootmode. He cycled frosty mountain air through his vents while simultaneously giving his captor a nasty glare. The strange hugs were one thing but **tickling** him?! This was a whole new level of disrespect against a superior officer!  
  
“You may act innocent all you want, Soundwave, but I'm on to you. If you are trying to undermine my authority you will have to do better than that.”  
  
Not that Soundwave's actions would even make any sense in this context. Or any context Starscream could come up with for that matter.  
  
Soundwave stayed silent and his screen stayed black but he reached into his subspace, producing a small cube of energon and presenting it to Starscream. It was barely more than a snack but his tanks were painfully empty and he reached out towards it before he could stop himself.  
  
“Wait. I'm not allowed to be fueled.” He retracted his arm as if an electric pulse had shot through it, suddenly much more wary of Soundwave than before, if that was even possible. So that wretched glitch **was** attempting to denounce him. Megatron's orders were for him to not be allowed to have any energon until he had “learned his lesson” whatever it was supposed to be this time. There was no way Soundwave hadn't known about this, he knew everything.  
  
“You're trying to make me look worse in front of Megatron so you can make yourself look even more perfect than you already are, aren't you?! But I won't fall for your deplorable tricks!”  
  
Starscream took a step back, ready to transform again and flee. He didn't know their current position but if he commed his soldiers, he was sure he could find his way back to the Nemesis without the aid of a groundbrigde.  
  
Soundwave shook his helm before putting a digit in front of his visor where his mouth would be. An attempt to approach was met with another step back on Starscream's part so the silent mech stopped, threw the energon cube at him and turned away.  
  
Starscream caught the cube in bewilderment and watched while Soundwave stepped towards the edge of the mountain's peak where he settled down onto the snow and rock, watching as the last rays of earth's sun glided over the horizon and bathed the sky in brilliant colors. Earth was dirty and wet and miserable but even a forgettable little rock like this one seemed to have its charming moments.  
  
After making sure that Soundwave wouldn't suddenly attempt to catch and touch him again, Starscream approached, his motions slow and always cautious. Soundwave was as still as a statue, the only indication that he was even still online was a barely audible circulation of air inside his vents. Here, the air was crisp and not as heavy as it was down on the ground. Less than ideal conditions for a human but for a winged cybertronian? It was just perfect.  
  
“I still don't trust you,” was all Starscream said before opening the cube and drinking its contents in a long, drawn out sip. I did not fill him but it quelled the burning emptiness in his tank for now and despite the resentment and distrust he still felt, there was also a bit of relief washing over him.  
  
Soundwave was silent as always and watched the orange and pink clouds as the sky around them gradually darkened.  
  
Starscream considered reminding the TIC that they still had work to do and needed to get back to the Nemesis but if Soundwave of all mechs decided to take this unauthorized break with him, he supposed the war and their soldiers and their cranky lord could wait for them just a little longer.


End file.
